


Time Warp

by gay_for_rey1999



Category: Archie Comics, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: 13 Going on 30 AU, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-12-07 23:00:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11633739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gay_for_rey1999/pseuds/gay_for_rey1999
Summary: 13 Going on 30 au, but I tried to mix it up and keep it more original. I hope you like it!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr @gay-for-rey1999

Looking in the mirror, Betty decided she liked what she saw. Her hair was styled so half was pinned up in an elaborate twist, while the rest cascaded over her shoulders in delicate curls. Her pale blue dress was flowy and comfortable, as well as flattering and trendy. Her makeup was subtle, except for the red lipstick she borrowed from her sister. Betty was applying a final layer of mascara when Alice Cooper walked in and burst her bubble.

“Absolutely not. Red lipstick is for whores. I will not have my youngest daughter walking around looking like a prostitute.” Alice’s tone was cold and brutal. She picked up a well-used nude shade from her daughter’s vanity. “Perfect Pink, now that’s much more suited to your personality,” she stated firmly, leaving no room for argument.

Homecoming at Riverdale High was almost as big a deal as prom. All the girls spent weeks planning their dresses, hairstyles, nails, makeup, shoes, and jewelry. Betty was ecstatic at the thought of creating the perfect outfit and dancing the night away. 

She hoped beyond hope that her crush, Archie Andrews, would ask her to the dance. Unfortunately, he asked the school’s queen bee and head bitch, Veronica Lodge. Utterly heartbroken, she cried to her best friend and next door neighbor, Jughead Jones.

“What do you even see in him, Betts? He’s a jerk and he doesn’t deserve you,” Jughead asked as he rubbed her back soothingly.

“He’s not a jerk, Juggie,” Betty exclaimed defensively.

“He called you a hag for hanging out with me.”

“I don’t even know what that means,” she admitted shyly.

“It means I’m gay and you’re my fake girlfriend,” he explained patiently. “And Archie knows that’s not true. He’s rude and makes jokes at other people’s expense.”

“Oh, maybe you’re right.” Betty wiped her eyes and sighed heavily. “Will you go to the dance with me, Juggie? I can’t go alone.”

Jughead hesitated. He hated his classmates and wanted nothing to do with them. Paying money to sway in a sweaty gym with his tormentors was not his idea of a Saturday night well spent. But Betty was asking him, and he would do anything to see her smile, so he agreed.

\---

Gladys Jones was ecstatic when Jughead told her he was going to the dance with Betty.

“I’m so proud of you for finally asking her out,” she gushed, making her son blush furiously.

“It’s not like that, mom. She asked me to go since her crush didn’t ask her. She didn’t want to go alone.”

“Well now is the perfect chance for you to tell her how you feel! You can’t wait around forever, Juggie.” His mother was right. It was time to finally tell Betty how he felt about her.

\---

The dance was 3 hours long, but it felt like an eternity. Jughead’s parents had given him a curfew of midnight. Since the dance was supposed to end at 10, that left him plenty of time to take Betty to Pop’s to tell her about his feelings. But his plans hit a bump in the road named Veronica Lodge. She was throwing an after party and insisted the entire sophomore class be there. Betty wanted to go, and Jughead couldn’t say no to her.

He decided to take the plunge sooner rather than later. When Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” came on, couples all over the gym started to pair off. Jughead put his hands firmly on Betty’s waist, while her arms were hanging lazily over his shoulders.

“Betty,” he started nervously. “I need to tell you something.”

“What is it, Juggie?” She was visibly distracted, but Jughead couldn’t stop now that he started.

“I like you, a lot. Like my heart beats really fast when you’re around and I feel like I can’t breathe or think when I see you.”

“Ugh, what does he even see in her?” Betty cried out suddenly. “He’s probably only with her because her father is filthy rich! She’s so mean and she’s not even that pretty!”

“What are you talking about Betts?” Jughead’s voice was full of hurt and confusion as he followed the blonde girl’s gaze. Archie and Veronica were making out in the middle of the dance floor, not caring who saw.

“Hey, look at me.” Betty turned, not quite meeting his eyes. “You are the most beautiful girl in this room. Anyone who doesn’t see that is an idiot and doesn’t deserve you.”

“That’s sweet, Jug, but you don’t have to lie to make me feel better.” Betty was crestfallen, and it shattered Jughead’s heart to see her hurting, especially over a dumb jock.

“Let’s ditch and get a milkshake.” 

“We still have to go to Veronica’s party, Jug. If we don’t show, she’ll know something is up.”

“She’s up to something, I can tell. She’s never said a single kind word to either of us. Why she wants us at her stupid party is beyond me.”

“You’re being paranoid. Nothing’s gonna happen.”

\---

She should have listened to Jughead. As soon as they arrived at the party, everything went south. Veronica immediately ushered them into the living room, where at least half their classmates were gearing up to play “seven minutes in heaven.”  
Jughead was on edge from the moment they arrived at the front door, but this was where Betty began to feel truly uncomfortable. The thought of spending 7 minutes in the closet with anybody she didn’t know was extremely daunting. Unfortunately for Betty, Veronica was in the mood for chaos.

“Okay guys, house rules say the hostess makes the first nomination,” the brunette she-demon announced. “My pick is… Betty Cooper!” 

Her choice was greeted with loud cheers from their half-drunk peers, and Betty was shoved into the dark closet before she could protest. Huddled on the floor, she waited on baited breath for her unlucky match, but nobody came. Realizing her fate, she began to cry softly.

\---

“You guys are such assholes. Why are you doing this to Betty?” Jughead was furious, screaming at everybody in the room. Betty didn’t deserve to be humiliated like this. She was a good person with a beautiful soul. 

He moved to open the closet door, to get to his best friend, but Archie Andrews stood in his way. Jughead wasn’t weak by any means, but he definitely wouldn’t stand a chance against the huge jock.

“What’s the matter, Shithead? Can’t you take a joke? We’re just messing with her a little bit. Loosen up, dude.”

“Don’t call me that,” Jughead snarled. “You have a pretty sick idea of fun, if this is what you do for kicks. There’s a special place in hell for people like you.” He used everybody’s momentary surprise to push past Archie and open the closet door.

“Come on, Betts. We’re leaving.”

Jughead held his hand out for her to take, but she shot past him and out the door. He ran after her, determined to see her home safe.

\---

The thick closet door drowned out most of the noise from the party, but Betty could hear a heated argument taking place right outside in the living room. She knew without question that Jughead was defending her honor. She couldn’t make out who else was shouting, but Jughead’s angry voice gave her the slightest bit of comfort in her moment of despair.  
Suddenly, the door opened. Looking up, Betty was greeted with the sight of her very angry best friend. 

“Come on, Betts. We’re leaving,” he declared, extending his hand for her to take. 

But she couldn’t face him. Not yet. She darted past him and out of the house, unsure of where her legs were taking her. Knowing Jughead would follow her, she regained control of her body and turned in the opposite direction of her house. She would take the long way home tonight.

\---

Betty arrived home just before curfew. Shrugging off Alice Cooper’s invasive questions, she made her way up to bed. She didn’t bother washing her face or even brushing her teeth as she put on pajamas and crawled into bed. Failing to hold back the flood behind her eyes, she hugged her tattered stuffed bear and cried herself to sleep. The last thing she remembered crossing her mind as she drifted was a wish to be like Veronica so bad things wouldn’t happen to her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I hope you catch on what's happening here. If not, don't fret. All will be revealed

Betty awoke to the shrill sound of her alarm. Stretching, she sat up to get ready for the day. Even though it was Sunday, Betty still had to meet her parents at the Riverdale Register. 

“The press never rests,” Alice’s words passed through her head. After graduating college, she had moved back in with her parents and worked alongside them to uncover juicy stories in their hometown. A lot of people said their articles were cruel, but the Coopers felt they were doing their sleepy town a favor. They kept the people on their toes and eliminated the well-rehearsed lies between families.

Making her way to her car, Betty glanced over to the house next door, where the Jones family used to live. When she was fresh out of college, her first article for the Register was about FP Jones’s affair with a woman from Greendale. As a result, Gladys Jones took their daughter and left town. Rumor had it, she went to her parents in Toledo. As for Jughead, he had to abandon his master’s degree and come home to take care of his drunken father. They moved across town to the trailer park.  
Betty felt a surge of pride every time she remembered her debut. Sure, their family was miserable, but there were no more lies. FP had been hiding his affair for years, and Gladys deserved the truth. 

It was no secret that everybody in Riverdale hated the Coopers, even if their articles were somewhat of a guilty pleasure. The only people who were untouchable were the Lodges, who owned the paper. At their encouragement and funding, the Register never ceased to find salacious exposés. Veronica Lodge and Betty Cooper had formed a tentative friendship in college, which turned into the pair being all but inseparable. What Veronica didn’t know, however, was that Betty was sleeping with her boyfriend, Archie Andrews, behind her back.

As Betty sat in her desk, typing away at a new story about the Blossom family, she heard a familiar knock on her office door. She immediately knew from the pattern of knocks that it was Archie. Straightening her ponytail, she opened the door to find the ginger holding a brown paper bag and smiling apologetically at Betty’s receptionist. 

“Hey baby, I thought you might be hungry,” Archie purred as soon as the door was shut.

There wasn’t any more talking after that. Their encounter was fast and to the point. Five minutes later, Archie was gone again, and Betty was already back to working on her article. 

Sometimes, she would feel a pang of guilt about sleeping with her best friend’s boyfriend. When this happened, she would just remember how every time they went out for drinks, Veronica would go home with a different guy. And besides, she and Archie were just hate-fucking. The Andrews family was another casualty in Betty’s journalism career. When Fred and Mary Andrews split, nobody knew why. So Betty took it upon herself to find out all the candid details of the sordid affair. 

Apparently, Mary had a drug problem and refused to seek help. In addition, she also lied to Fred about having a miscarriage over 20 years ago, when it had been an abortion. This was too much for Fred, and he kicked her out of the house. Mary had decidedly not been quiet about leaving. Before she left for Chicago, she met with Betty and told her all about Fred’s gambling problem. This made for one of Betty’s juiciest stories, and that edition of the Register sold out faster than ever. 

When Betty stumbled into bed that night, she fell asleep almost immediately. She and Veronica had gone out drinking again, and Veronica had left with a stranger long before Betty. Archie had met her again, and they had snuck off to the bathroom. Alcohol truly brought out the worst in Betty, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. She was successful and powerful, she loved her job, and she made an impact on her small town. She passed out fully dressed with her makeup still on as soon as her head hit the pillow.

\---

Betty woke up with a start. She replayed the awful dream in her head. In what universe would she ever be happy writing life-ruining stories about her neighbors? Shaking her head, she rubbed her face. She looked down at her hands and realized she still had the last night’s makeup on. Checking the time on her phone, she realized it was already 9 AM. 

Betty rushed to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. While she did so, she thought back to the night before. It was the most humiliating experience in her life. Remembering the feeling of waiting in the closet was extremely painful. But then she remembered hearing Jughead’s voice through the door.

Thinking about Jughead made her feel a million times better. Her best friend had always been there for her, no matter what. With a pang in her stomach, she thought back further to when they were dancing. He had tried to tell her something important to him, but Betty hadn’t been listening. Thinking hard, she tried to remember what he was saying.

“I like you, a lot. Like my heart beats really fast when you’re around and I feel like I can’t breathe or think when I see you.”  
His words came back to her, and she felt like she had been hit by a truck. How could she have been so blind? Betty spent years pining after Archie, but what she needed was right in front of her all along. Jughead had always protected Betty, no matter what. And he was always there when she needed him. 

Thinking fast, Betty got dressed and put on shoes. Running down the stairs and out the door, she ignored her mother calling after her. “Elizabeth Cooper, where do you think you’re going?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty short, and the last one is short, too. I spent most of my creativity for this story on the first chapter. I love hearing your feedback!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I kinda pulled this to an early end. I didn't like writing Betty as a bitch, so I only made that one chapter. There isn't much else after that, so I added a glimpse into their future for good measure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find me on tumblr @gay-for-rey1999 and @juglovesbetty

Betty reached the Jones’s front door in seconds and rang the doorbell, hoping Jughead would be the one to answer the door.  
“Betty? What’s going on?” The door opened, and Betty was greeted by the sight of a shirtless Jughead with sleepy eyes and tousled hair.  
Instead of answering, Betty flung herself into his arms, holding tight.  
“I had the worst dream last night, Jug,” she sighed into his shoulder.  
“Do you want to talk about it,” Jughead asked as he ushered her inside. Guiding her to the kitchen table, he offered her a glass of orange juice, which she gladly drank.  
“I was like my parents. I was like Veronica. I wrote articles that tore families apart. The first one I wrote was about you.” Betty’s voice cracked, prompting Jughead to rub soothing circles on her back. “Last night, at the dance,” she continued. “You were trying to tell me how you feel about me, and I wasn’t listening. I’m so sorry I was such a bad date, such a bad friend.”   
Jughead stiffened, feeling embarrassed that she had actually heard him and brushed him off anyway.   
“Listen, Betty, I don’t want you to feel…” Jughead scrambled to cover his tracks, only to be cut off.  
“No, Jughead, I feel the same way. It just took somebody spelling it out for me to realize. You’ve been there for me all these years, and I’ve been blind. And I think I’m in love with you.”  
“Oh, Betts, I know I’m in love with you,” Jughead responded with a broad smile, leaning in to kiss her.  
Kissing Jughead, Betty learned, was like coming home after a long day. It was like the first day of spring after a brutal winter. It was like Christmas morning finally arriving after weeks of waiting. It was everything she dreamed her first kiss would be and more. All too soon, they were interrupted by Jellybean’s arrival.  
“Eeeww,” she exclaimed, covering her eyes quickly. “Mooom! Betty and Jughead are kissing!”  
“It’s about damn time,” FP shouted from the living room. Betty’s face turned an alarming shade of pink, while Jughead just buried his own in his hands and groaned.  
“I better head back home,” Betty said quickly. “I didn’t even tell my mom where I was going.”  
“I’ll walk you home,” Jughead offered. “Well, at least to the door,” he corrected, remembering his lack of a shirt.  
“Thanks, Juggie,” Betty whispered, kissing his cheek gently. Jughead shifted so that her lips fell onto his mouth instead.  
“Come over for dinner tonight? We could watch a movie after,” he offered breathlessly.  
“Jughead Jones,” Betty teased, a small smile gracing her lips. “Are you asking me on a date?”  
“I suppose I am,” Jughead replied flippantly. “What do you say?”  
“I’ll be there. Text me what time.” She dropped one last kiss onto his smiling mouth before dashing back to her own house, ready to face her mother’s wrath.  
\---  
“Congratulations, Mrs. Jones! It’s a healthy baby girl! Ten fingers and ten toes,” the doctor Labor had been especially rough, considering their baby decided to come out feet-first.  
Jughead could barely take his eyes off of his wife. He knew she was strong, but only a goddess could have pulled off a breech birth. When he finally managed to pull his gaze from the angel before him, he was mesmerized all over again.  
The tiny bundle in Betty’s arms was the definition of earthly beauty. Opening her lips in a tiny yawn, their daughter was the epitome of perfect.  
“Welcome home, Isabella Jones,” Betty whispered, happy tears running down her face.  
“We’re so excited to finally meet you,” Jughead chimed in, choking on his own tears. “Betty, you are a goddamn goddess. I don’t know how you managed today, but I am so grateful.” The dam inside Jughead had broken as Betty passed their newborn daughter to him. “You are so beautiful, Isabella, just like your mother. Betty, she’s a dark-haired you.”  
“Our little family,” Betty sighed happily. She felt a huge surge of pride at her own words. This was her family, and she was damn lucky to have them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this! It's my first attempt at a multi-chapter story. I have another one brewing, but it'll be a while before it's ready to post. Leave a comment and let me know what you thought of my 13 Going on 30 au!

**Author's Note:**

> So I finally figured out how to format on this website! I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. Please leave me a quick comment, it means the world to me


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